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Getting Started: Family Secret Brisket Recipe!

When you’ve been raising beef as long as we have, you cook a lot of it too. We’ve done our fair share of learning the hard way. Our family Brisket recipe is really easy …once you figure out the tricks, and to be honest, that took us a while. First off, there are two kinds of brisket. Whole brisket and brisket flat. The difference is not that the “whole brisket” is more wholesome, it just has a part called the “brisket point ” left on it; when the point is removed from the brisket, it becomes a “brisket flat”. Leaving the point makes the whole brisket about twice as heavy as a brisket flat, but the point is very fatty. VERY fatty. Flats cook much quicker and are that part of the brisket that you get if you’ve ever had dinner at where a cook is “hand carving” brisket. Brisket flat is what most of us would call traditional “brisket”. The point, in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, the point is something special. If you’ve ever been to BBQ country, they call the point, “Burnt Ends” they are very rich, meaty…they are meat candy… Back to the secret. Cooking a brisket flat or whole brisket is the exact same process, just a different amount of time.

Season to Taste!

Some folks like BBQ sauce, others, a dry rub. We prefer to start with a medium/light rub of Kosher or Sea Salt over the whole brisket. Start with hot smoke – 350-400F temp with lots of smoke. Place brisket on cook rack FAT SIDE DOWN (this is your insulation) If you’re using BBQ sauce, mop in on heavy during this phase of cooking.

We prefer to use natural wood smokeand heat, (build a very hot bed of coals and add small to medium pieces of wood that have been soaked overnight).

If you have a pellet grill, or similar cooker, these will work great as well! The heat will sear the outside of the brisket and the smoke will give it a nice flavor and a deep red “smoke” ring that should radiate in from the outside when sliced 1/4 – 3/8” Let the brisket smoke this way for 1- 2 hours.

When you believe the brisket has smoked to your liking, remove it from the grill and wrap it in heavy aluminum foil. Wrap it tightly with a few layers to further seal in the heat and juices.

Place the brisket back on the grill or in a conventional oven at low, <225F, temp. The brisket will finish cooking very slowly and will become very tender and juicy.

After another hour or so, check the internal temperature of the meat. It should be between 150 and 170F. Continue to check the internal temperature of the meat every 20 or 30 minutes until temperature for brisket reaches 190-195F. When it does, remove it from the grill or oven and allow it to rest on the counter or table for 30 minutes or longer, still wrapped tightly in foil. (set it in a cookie sheet, it will leak some) The reason it is so important to pay attention to the internal temperature is if it is allowed to go too high, the fluid inside the cells will begin to boil and rupture. This will make the brisket very, very dry and chewy so be very careful to not exceed the recommended times or temperatures.

If you cooked a brisket whole, the Burnt Ends are on the top side of the thicker end of the brisket. They will be separated from the brisket flat by a layer of “oyster fat” simply follow this layer of fat with a knife to remove the burnt ends. Trim lower layer of fat from point and slice burnt ends.

Hope you enjoy our brisket recipe! Remember the larger the cut the more forgiving it is. Our brisket recipe uses premium beef because the quality of the beef is a big part of how the brisket tastes. Thanks!

Premium hamburger isn’t just hamburger!

Hamburger doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. Some people think of hamburger as ground up meat that didn’t make the cut during steak production. While this is a partial truth, it does not mean that this meat is without its benefits. A long time ago, some clever devil figured out that grinding these small pieces of trim is an efficient, and tasty, way to utilize peaces meat that are too small to be sold elsewhere….”hamburger” was born. Hamburger IS NOT hamburger or premium hamburger. There are different grades, grinds, lean/fat ratios, preseason burger, heck, there are even special blends and different types of beef to deliver a specific burger experience. And that’s just the meat… Taking it a few steps further, there are other things to consider when building a burger. Buns, topping – from cheese to anchovies – condiments, how the burger is cooked…all these things come together when the first bite is taken.

When you start with better beef, all of a sudden it makes sense to start paying attention to other details. One of the biggest “burger fouls” that we see is chronic overcooking. Lots of folks will prepare a steak medium/rare and enjoy it without worry, but won’t cook a burger without turning it into a hockey puck because they are afraid that there might be some bug or bacteria living in the ground beef. Given the fact that our Premium steak hamburger is made from steak trim, there is much less concern about e-coli contamination. So go ahead and cook that FUSION premium hamburger burger to medium rare and ENJOY it.

The trick on the grill is to wait until you see juice beginning to rise and pool on the surface of the patty, then flip and repeat. A properly cooked burger should drip off your elbows when you eat it – okay, maybe not THAT juicy, but it should be juicy, not dry. Buns are integral in building the perfect burger – while the “ball park” type buns are fine for a backyard BBQ and quarter pound patties – when you graduate to a half pound FUSION patty, the ‘ol 5200, you need a real bun. Select a bun that is large enough diameter to hold the burger, then pick one that has some flavor; ciabatta, sour dough, etc are great choices. The bun needs to hold, and hold up to, the burger patty. When it comes to other toppings, don’t be afraid to try different flavors, but make sure they accent the burger. Too many “Chef’s” completely cover up the flavor of a good burger with strange reductions and ridiculous amounts and combinations of toppings. Stick to high quality and remember “balance is key”

Steakhouse style burger!

Chef’s Notes:

Not all burger is created equal

Cook or grill until juice starts to develop on top of burger. Flip, repeat and eat.

Bun = Burger Patty

Focus on quality of topping, not quantity

Don’t over cook – burgers are supposed to be juicy

What is “Perfect”? Nebraska Star Beef FUSION premium hamburger is different from other burger. Very different. FUSION ground beef is designed to deliver a premium beef experience from the ground up (no pun intended.)

We start with steak trim from Angus and Wagyu beef. Steak trim is 3 things that regular trim isn’t: 1. Aged 2. Leaner 3. Flavorful A good burger needs a little fat to help bind the ground beef together and also to help in the cooking process. It also adds flavor. Instead of using 50/50 or “cap trim” (fat located between the hide and meat) to fatten up our burger we use the naturally occurring intramuscular fat in Wagyu Beef Cattle

. Wagyu beef, or American Style Kobe has long been prized for its rich decadent flavor… but anyone who has ever tried it will tell you, a burger made from exclusively Wagyu Beef shrinks A LOT when you cook it – this is due to that awesome intramuscular fat cooking off. We learned through trial and error that something special happened when we blended our aged Angus and Wagyu steak trim. The flavor is truly unique, and this isn’t just something we cooked up to try and sell more burger. We honestly spent the time to develop a better burger.

Angus Beef Tri-Tip One of the Most Underrated Cuts!

Angus Beef Tri-Tip roast is one of the most underrated cuts of beef on the entire animal. The size of a roast, the consistency of a sirloin steak, it is the ULTIMATE food if you are serving a small group. Angus beef tri tip is the easiest cut in the world to cook on a medium/low heat grill.

Simply season to taste, lay on the grill, flat side down, and roast until the tri tip internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.

Remove from heat, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Slice into 3/16’ pieces and serve with firm dinner rolls.

It is important to remember thickness and grade of the Angus Beef Tri Tip varies so adjust accordingly. The only situation worse than not cooking it enough is cooking it too much!

Tri Tip Facts:

First popular in the Western Part of the United States. Reason for this most likely revolves around cattle ranches using every part of the beef and the tri tips properties make it ideal for cooking outdoors over the coals of an open fire. The most popular, and only form of cooking on a cattle drive.

Tri Tip comes from the back of the beef, just above the leg and in front of the stomach forming a triangle hence the name tri tip.

This is a very lean cut of beef. All the more reason to buy a premium product USDA Choice or better is ideal. These grades will provide better marbling in the beef and will have a better taste and texture

Very little prep is needed, in most situations the fat cap has been removed. If the cap of fat has not been removed its ideal to remove it, as it wont render in the low heat and most folks prefer not to chew a big chunk of fat. The fat can hinder the smokey taste from charcoal or the smoker from penetrating the meat. A big let down for any dinner party!

Pot Roast seem to be a lost art. We grew up on them but we don’t have too many folks ask us about them anymore, which kinda bums us out. Roasts, cooked properly, are an excellent cut of beef. We’ve all heard people complain about “Aunt Mabel’s pot roast” and we’ve lived through a few roast horror stories ourselves. Probably the biggest enemy of any roast is over cooking.

Crock Pots are great for soup or chili, but many a pot roast has suffered an agonizing bout of overcooking via the Crock Pot. We’ve heard of folks (God bless them) who throw a bunch of veggies and a lean round pot roast into a crock pot then leave it on high all day while they are at the office. This much contained water, heat and time will pretty much turn what could have been an awesome dinner into mush. There is a big difference between tender meat, and mush.

Tri Tip or Chuck Roast

Now, that same Crock Pot set to “Low” would have made something a whole lot more palatable, but a few extra minutes of prep time can simply put it over the top. For starters season and sear, the roast – just like a steak – prior to roasting, then wrap it in aluminum foil.

Cook it on the same drip rack in the same oven that you used for the steak, except cook it to an internal temperature of 160F, remove it from the heat and allow it to rest – still in the foil – for 20-30 minutes.

If you roast the vegetables in the same oven, on the same drip rack, you can simply transfer them to a large serving bowl. Cover with foil and allow them to rest for the same 20-30 minutes.

What to do with the 20-30 minute rest period…. well, it’s the perfect amount of time to set the table and make gravy!

Gravy!

Grab the cookie sheet that was under the drip rack and add a 1/4 stick of butter to the pan while it’s still hot. When the butter melts, use a wooden spoon to stir up and dissolve the butter into the drippings and vise-versa. Pour this mixture into a sauce pan and set the oven to medium heat. Add just enough white flour to make a thick paste. Finally, add milk slowly until it becomes a nice, brown gravy.

Staying true to form that gravy, to be delicious, should be unhealthy, add a healthy pinch of Kosher or Sea Salt and enough Coarse Black Pepper to taste. One can also add Beef Bullion for a “beefier” taste, if desired.

Once this task is complete, the table is set, the roast and vegetables are ready to serve and you’re all set. Total time start to finish should be 1.5-2 hours. If dead-set on using the Crock Pot, use a small stoneware dish or bowl to prop the roast up and off the bottom of the Crock Pot so it doesn’t get soggy, the drippings will still make a very nice gravy, using the directions described above. Veggies are probably still best steamed or cooked separately.

Again, use premium beef to stack the odds in your favor of having a perfect pot roast. Nothing is more true than ” you get what you pay for” when it comes to beef!

Chef’s notes:

Preheat Oven to 400F

Preheat Skillet and add Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Season Roast to taste

Sear Pot Roast on all sides of roast one side at a time, until golden-brown crust is achieved

Wrap the roast in aluminum foil and place on drip rack/cookie sheet

Place UNWRAPPED vegetables on same drip rack/cookie sheet

Put roast and vegetables in 400F oven until internal temp of roast is 160F remove from oven

Perfect Steak – Every Time, Year Round, and Consistently!

Preparing the perfect steak is easy, yet many people are intimidated by cooking steak. If we are honest with ourselves, getting steak to come out perfectly each and every time has probably been hit or miss…especially if cooking the steak on the time-honored charcoal grill.

There is an easier way that is also very, very consistent. It probably isn’t what you are thinking, and it may even offend some folks sensibilities…but it works, and it’s hard to argue with success. The answer: Your Oven.

To cook the perfect steak, pre-heat it to 400 degrees F. Make sure the steak has been thawed slowly, if it was frozen. Once thawed or starting with fresh steak, simply season the steak as desired. Kosher or Sea Salt and Coarse Black Pepper are perfect, as is our Nebraska Star Signature Seasoning which we developed specifically for steak but later found out it works on just about anything you want!

Once seasoned, heat a skillet – we prefer cast iron – to a low/medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The pan should be hot enough that water dripped into the oil spatters instantly, but not so hot that the oil smokes.

Now, using a pair of tongs, lay the steak, or steaks, into the pan and allow them to sear for a minute or two. * Hint: when searing steaks be careful not to lay too many cold steaks in the pan at once. You can lose your heat not allowing steaks to develop the crust. They will naturally “release” from the pan when they are seared. Don’t pull them too early, but don’t leave them too long; you’re just looking for a nice, golden brown crust. Flip & repeat.

Now that your steaks are properly seared, place them on a drip rack/cookie sheet and place them in the pre-heated 400 degree F oven. Assuming a 3/4” – 1” thick steak, 13 minutes will yield a Medium/Rare, 15 minutes will yield Medium and 11-12 minutes is a perfect Warm/Rare.